Over the past year and a half, Koenigsegg and Czinger have been locked in a very public tug of war for the outright production car lap record at California’s legendary Laguna Seca Raceway. Both brands arrived armed with multi-million-dollar hypercars pushing four-figure power outputs, and the margins separating them have been razor-thin. Koenigsegg’s Jesko Attack stopped the clocks at 1:24.86 last year, just 0.58 seconds quicker than the Czinger 21C’s 2021 benchmark. When the Swedes returned with the Sadair’s Spear last month, the improvement was equally marginal, trimming only seven tenths to land a 1:24.16.
Czinger is now back, and this time there’s no mistaking the statement. The American marque has smashed the record with a 1:22.30 lap, a huge 1.8-second gain over the Sadair’s Spear. The Racelogic-verified lap can be watched at the bottom of this article.
Notably, Czinger used the very same 21C that set five records in five days during the California Gold Rush Rally, driving itself between circuits. That alone underlines the depth of engineering behind the concept. With Joel Miller behind the wheel and Michelin Cup 2 R tyres fitted, the 21C has laid down a benchmark that will not be easy to dislodge, even if Koenigsegg is almost certain to try.
When the Sadair’s Spear ran at Laguna Seca last month, it did so while handicapped by a massive muffler to comply with the circuit’s strict 99 dB noise limit. On top of that, the car was running magnesium wheels rather than its lighter carbon fibre rims, simply because those were the only wheels available with fresh tyres at the time.
All of that suggests Koenigsegg still has time in hand, but Czinger founder and CEO Lukas Czinger told us the 21C met the same noise restrictions without any changes. He also pointed out that the Czinger achieves its performance despite a sizeable power deficit. The 21C’s 2.88-litre twin-turbo V8, paired with two electric motors, produces 1,250 hp, compared to the Sadair’s Spear’s towering 1,603 hp.
Lukas Czinger added that the lap time was “closer to our simulations,” hinting that there may still be more performance to unlock if required. Conditions and temperatures were close to ideal on the day, but even so, the achievement is staggering. Laguna Seca measures just 2.238 miles, and making up nearly two seconds around such a short lap will be a serious challenge for the rear-wheel-drive Sadair’s Spear.
Looking ahead, Czinger is clearly not done. While Lukas kept details under wraps, he confirmed the team is keen to head to Europe, with the Nürburgring firmly on the radar for 2026. There may also be top-speed runs in store for the 21C V Max, and if any owners of the ultra-rare 1-of-4 21C Blackbird are willing to play, even more records could be in jeopardy. This rivalry is far from over.